據7月25日Trend報道，墨西哥已要求華爾街主要銀行提交其龐大石油對沖計劃的報價，而原油期權交易本周在大宗交易前有所增加。

知情人士稱，財政部已要求銀行提供報價，暗示執行對沖的過程已經開始。外交部沒有立即對此發表評論。

墨西哥每年購買多達10億美元的金融合同，以保護其石油收入，這是世界上最大的石油對沖項目。參與交易雙方的銀行家和官員預計，今年對沖規模將縮小，因為用于保護石油利潤的期權比去年更為昂貴。

今年早些時候，石油市場崩盤，美國原油基準價格在4月份跌至每桶負40美元。上周五，它的交易價在43美元左右。

到位的對沖措施保護了墨西哥免受股市暴跌的沖擊。據墨西哥財政部稱，2020年的對沖是在2019年安排的，當時的價格是每桶49美元。墨西哥政府今年4月說，對沖將產生約1500億比索(約合60億美元)的收益。

由于今年的波動性更高，預計墨西哥將為2021年的保單支付更多費用，但承保范圍將減少。不過，消息人士稱，預計該公司將繼續推進，以避免進一步損害其在國際投資者心目中的財務地位。該國的信用評級近幾個月來已經被下調，而且有進一步下調的危險。

市場消息人士稱，歐洲和美國的交易商和銀行本周一直是隱含波動率期權的積極買家。這些消息人士說，這是一個信號，表明交易商正在為財政部購買債券后的大規模購買做準備。

由于雙方都試圖在一項競爭激烈的交易中為銀行爭取到最佳條款，因此談判非常秘密，參與者也很少。

就2020年對沖而言，墨西哥購買的期權有三分之二與國際布倫特原油基準指數掛鉤，而不是墨西哥主要生產的瑪雅石油。

目前布倫特原油2021年的平均價格約為每桶46美元，為3月初以來的最高水平。

鄒勤 摘譯自 Trend

原文如下：

Mexico moves to launch world's largest oil hedge

Mexico has asked top Wall Street banks to submit quotes for its giant oil hedging program, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, while trading in crude oil options has increased this week ahead of the megadeal, Trend reports citing Reuters.

The finance ministry has asked banks for price quotes, one source with direct knowledge of the matter said, signaling the beginning of the process to execute the hedge. The ministry was not immediately available for comment.

Every year, Mexico buys as much as $1 billion in financial contracts, the world’s largest oil hedge program, to protect its oil revenues. Bankers and officials on both sides of the deal expect a smaller hedge this year because the options used to protect oil profits are more expensive than last year.

The oil market crashed earlier this year, with the U.S. crude benchmark falling to negative-$40 a barrel in April. It was trading around $43 on Friday.

Having the hedge in place protected Mexico from the plunge. The 2020 hedge, arranged in 2019, was completed at $49 a barrel, according to the country’s finance ministry, and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in April that the hedge would yield roughly 150 billion pesos ($6 billion).

Because volatility is higher this year, Mexico is expected to pay more for less coverage for the insurance policy for 2021. However, it is expected to go ahead to avoid further damaging its financial standing with international investors, sources have said. The country’s credit rating has been cut in recent months and is in danger of additional declines.

Trade shops and banks based in Europe and the United States have been active buyers of implied volatility options this week, market sources said. That is a signal that dealers are preparing for the extensive buying that comes with the finance ministry’s purchases, those sources said.

Negotiations are very secretive and limited to few participants as both sides attempt to secure the best terms in a highly competitive deal for banks.

For the 2020 hedge, sources estimated two-thirds of the options Mexico bought were indexed to the international Brent crude benchmark, shifting away from the Maya oil Mexico mainly produces.

Average Brent crude prices for 2021 are currently at about $46 a barrel, their highest since early March.